After several days of nationwide protests, President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Mykhailo Drapatyi as Ukraine's new commander-in-chief on July 21, prompting outrage among Russian social media users and military bloggers.One of the most experienced Ukrainian commanders, Drapatyi has been fighting Russia in Ukraine since 2014. He replaced Oleksandr Syrskyi, whose resignation became one of the key demands of the mass demonstrations that followed the controversial dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had been at odds with the previous commander-in-chief.Drapatyi's appointment was met with celebration among Ukrainian military personnel and protesters, while Russian social media users contrasted Ukraine's political system with Russia's and warned about the new commander-in-chief, describing him as someone who "hates (Russian soldiers) and hates them consistently."Russian military blogger Kirill Fedorov shared a post on his Telegram channel, which has nearly 500,000 subscribers, featuring footage of Drapatyi breaking through a blockade in Mariupol as part of a BMP-2 crew. Russian forces attempted to seize the city in 2014.Mykhailo Drapatyi was the commander of the legendary BMP-2 that broke through Russian-backed barricades in Mariupol on May 9, 2014.At the time, Russian-backed militants were attempting to seize control of the city. Drapatyi led the armored breakthrough that helped Ukrainian… pic.twitter.com/Tg5mX3mgzJ— Saint Javelin (@saintjavelin) July 21, 2026